In magnetron sputtering, magnets are disposed on the rear side of a target, and leakage magnetic flux flowing toward the front side of the target causes plasma to be concentrated at high density. This allows stable high-rate sputtering.
Therefore, the target used for magnetron sputtering is required to allow a large amount of leakage magnetic flux to flow toward the front side of the target.
For example, Patent Literature 1 discloses a magnetron sputtering target containing Co. More specifically, this magnetron sputtering target includes a magnetic phase containing Co, a non-magnetic phase containing Co, and an oxide phase, and the magnetic phase, the non-magnetic phase, and the oxide phase are dispersed in each other. The magnetic phase contains Co and Cr as main components, and the ratio of the amount of Co contained in the magnetic phase is not less than 76 at % and not more than 80 at %. Patent Literature 1 discloses another magnetron sputtering target containing Co. More specifically, this magnetron sputtering target includes a magnetic phase containing Co and a non-magnetic phase containing Co, and the magnetic phase and the non-magnetic phase are dispersed in each other. The non-magnetic phase is a Pt—Co alloy phase containing Pt as a main component, and the ratio of the amount of Co contained in the Pt—Co alloy phase is more than 0 at % and not more than 13 at %.
For example, Patent Literature 2 discloses a magnetron sputtering target containing a ferromagnetic metal element. More specifically, this magnetron sputtering target includes a magnetic phase containing the ferromagnetic metal element, a plurality of non-magnetic phases containing the ferromagnetic metal element, the plurality of non-magnetic phases containing a different constituent element from each other or containing constituent elements at different ratios from each other, and an oxide phase, wherein regions of the magnetic phase and the non-magnetic phases are separated from each other by the oxide phase, the regions of the magnetic phase are separated from each other by the oxide phase, and the regions of the non-magnetic phases are separated from each other by the oxide phase.
These magnetron sputtering targets allow an increased amount of leakage magnetic flux to flow from the surfaces of the targets during magnetron sputtering without reducing the amount of Co, or a ferromagnetic metal element, contained in the targets, so that magnetron sputtering can be performed favorably.